It was Love that Tamed the Savage Beast
by Odinson91
Summary: So basically, Kushina is alive and has raised Naruto. She gets Naruto to befriend Hinata when they were kids. The title will have to do with how Naruto comes back from the brink of an all-out rampage. Super powered up Naruto later on for reasons explained inside. NaruHina. Possible Limes and if I get enough request for it I'll put limes in too.
1. The Sandbox

**A/N: **Hinata's about four years older than Hanabi. Also, the changes I've made to the cannon mostly pertain to certain people being alive instead of having died before the series began. I chose to have Naruto's mom still alive because I read what happened on the night he was born and, w/o spoiling anything, let's say that she didn't need to die for the sake of securing the village, it was just an unfortunate coincidence that she did.

Anyways, onto the story.

Hinata sat on the edge of the sandbox looking around at all of the other kids playing, being too shy to go and ask if she could play with them. She spots a small blonde walking onto the playground holding his mother's hand.

Once they were close enough, Kushina bent down and said to the tiny terror, "Now remember Naruto-kun, don't prank anyone unless they deserve it, we don't want a repeat of what happened when you met Sasuke for the first time, do we? You can play jokes, it'll probably help you make friends, but no pranks, got it mister?"

Naruto looked down for a second dejected from being denied one of his favorite pastimes then snapped into a salute and replied good naturedly, "Yes ma'am!" all the while sporting a grin that reminded his mother of the creature she carried inside her before passing it on to him.

_"I swear Minato, that boy is going to grow up to be called 'Orange Demon', hopefully for his pranks and clothes and not the orange furball inside him," _reflected the woman who once held said furball.

Naruto made his way to the playground proper and noticed a raven-haired girl sitting on the edge of the sandbox alone, remembering how his mother told him that loneliness can kill, even though he still didn't know what that meant, he decided to go over and see if she wanted to play.

"Hi there, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet ya," Naruto declared surprising the milk-white mini-maiden, "wanna play, or are you alone by choice?"

Hinata looked up at the boy's face, noticing black lines on his cheeks that resembled whiskers, then his Cerulean eyes and his ginormous grin, and just nodded with her fingers knitted together.

"Um, 'Yes, I want to be alone' or 'Yes, I wanna play'?" inquired Naruto, his grin shrunk down more thoroughly than if Wayne Szalinski had something to do with it, and his eyebrow raised just a little.

Responding with a quiet voice barely above a whisper, "I wanna play," if it wasn't for Naruto enhanced hearing, he probably wouldn't have heard her, "I was just too embarrassed to ask anyone."

"Well, there's no one in the sandbox, wanna play in there?"

"OK, Naruto-kun."

Realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet and had accidentally been rude, Hinata sprung up from where she was sitting and went into a deep bow to say, "I'm sorry, I'm Hinata Hyuga, nice to meet you too."

When she sees that her son is playing nice, Kushina Namikaze (neè Uzumaki), known to most of Konoha as the wife of the late Fourth Hokage aka 'Konoha's Yellow Flash', sat down on the park bench next the other mothers watching their children. Outside of the village walls she only used her maiden name, since any enemies of Minato would automatically recognize his last name and know that it isn't a coincidence, certain members of Iwagakure having made sure anyone with that name was 'gotten to' after Minato's involvement in the last Great Shinobi World War ticked them off enough to want to strike him where it hurt and it would keep hurting.

**A/N: **ok, I know this is an abysmal beginning. I'm planning to have a few more adventures in Naruto's childhood, then we get to see how everything panned out if his mom survived the night of his birth.


	2. A Proper Goodbye

**A/N: **I wanted to make this chapter a little longer and explain why Kushina was there, but I really wanted to leave this on a high note. My computer's in the shop so I haven't been able to write on anything for the past week, thank your local library for everything that they do for you and thank them properly. It's still being fixed but it's supposed to be done in about a week so, until then I won't be able to get to Ch. 4, in the mean time, enjoy the double update.

**Quick note to those who don't know: -hime means princess and -dono kind of means the equivalent of Sir. So below, Naruto is referring to himself as Sir Uzumaki and calling Hinata Princess.**

Naruto was running at his fastest speed possible. His lungs were burning, his feet were sore, and his vision was beginning to blur. Hinata had just lost her mother. While he could only imagine the horror she was feeling, he knew for sure that if he ever lost his mother, there would be very few people and/or reasons keeping him from rampaging through the village Grand Theft Auto style. Knowing Hinata, he thought about what her reaction would be, _"She's probably cried herself blind by now. Hang on Hina-hime, Uzumaki-dono is coming," _he thought to himself remembering their games of 'Samurai Defending His Princess'.

He was far past the point of exhaustion for normal four-year-olds.

"_I wonder why I haven't collapsed yet, either she means that much to me or I'm some kinda Super-Ninja," _his mother still not having told him about the increased stamina coming from the mass of fur and chakra inside him, which she also had not told him about yet, although maybe it was both.

Right when he was ready to collapse, even with his super-stamina, he finally reached the gate to the Hyuga complex.

The guards outside stopped him.

"Hold it kid, I assume you're here because you heard about the mistress?" asked Guard 01.

"_Well, duh. _Umm, yeah. Could you please let me through, Hina-chan needs me, now!" Naruto inadvertently yelled at the guards while trying to be diplomatic so as to not lose any more time.

"Sorry kid, just doing our job. Can't let just anyone in, y'know," Guard 02 replied, both stepping aside to let the mini-marvel of might in and help his friend.

"I'm not anyone," Naruto grumbled as he ran inside fast enough to remind the guards of his father.

As he sped through the halls of the Hyuga Main Family's complex, he noticed a head of bright red hair out of the corner of his eye that he knew belonged to his mother, _"I wonder what she's doing here, no time to worry about that now, my Hime needs me."_

He saw Hanabi's nursery and started to slow down so as to not overshoot his target.

Firmly grasping Hinata's door, he opens the door slowly so he doesn't scare the living daylights out of her in her fragile condition. Walking in, he sees her sitting on the floor with her knees at her chest and her arms around a pillow, just staring ahead as if she had been hypnotized. She doesn't respond, Naruto knows that even if she's a shattered shell, her Gentle Fist training would make sure she sensed him on some level.

Instead of calling out to her, he walks over to her, sits down next to her, and puts his arm around her shoulder. Hinata just snuggles into his embrace and puts her head on his chest.

They sit there for close to six hours, neither saying a word, Naruto waiting for her to be ready to open up. Despite his natural aversion to silences, he knows that his friend needs it right now.

"I didn't get to say goodbye," Naruto hears in a voice so gentle, so broken, so weak, and so utterly devoid of anything he almost doesn't recognize the person it came from and fears saying anything will tear her apart and there would be no more Hinata no friend he had taken to calling his Hime both in his heart and in his smile.

The only thing that he could think of to do that wouldn't shatter her was to pull her closer and whisper in her ear, "So say it now, so long as you live, Hina-chan, a small piece of her lives with you."

This was when Hinata finally broke down, burying her face in Naruto's shirt, she found herself choked up. The only thing that escaped her throat was a single shudder, not a sob, or the sound of weeping. She couldn't even cry, she couldn't even pout. Silently, she said her goodbyes to her gentle mother, hoping she could carry on her legacy.

After another half hour, Hinata felt up to speaking. She removed face from Naruto's shirt, but still held onto him, and said to him, "Naruto, will you make me a promise?"

"Name it, and not even every Shinobi that ever lived will make me break it."

Hinata gave him a small smile, "No matter what, whenever we part, we'll always give each other a proper goodbye, like it's the last time we'll ever see each other again."

"I swear it, Hina-chan. Shake on it?"

Instead of reaching out and taking his hand, Hinata jumped on him and hugged him tighter than he'd ever felt before, "You realize, if you break your promise, I'll get Neji-nii to hurt you, right," Hinata half-joked.

Putting his arms around her, Naruto just whispered back, "If you think I'll ever go back on my promise, you're crazier than Jii-san when I pull one too many pranks in one week."


	3. Bonds: Past, Present, and Future

Naruto walked out of Hinata's room and quietly closed the door, careful to not disturb her after just getting her into bed and giving her the good bye he promised.

"I think she'll be okay, thank you Kami-sama," the tiny Naruto prayed, hoping his friend would come out of this without too many repercussions.

As Naruto passed the living room, he remembered that he'd seen his mom their before and went in to see if she was still there. Walking in, he did indeed see his mother, and she was sitting across from Hiashi with a sympathetic look on her face. Naruto slowly walked up to his mother and she picked him up, placing him on her lap facing Hiashi.

"Hello Naruto, how's Hinata handling what happened?"

"Better than I expected, actually," Naruto replied, "don't worry Hiashi-sama, as long as I'm here, Hinata will be as happy as a clam and smiling like one too," he added with a foxy grin, showing his age and concern for his friend.

"That's a good boy, Naruto. See Hiashi, Naruto's taking care of her; you need to first focus on getting yourself through this. Take it from someone who knows, if you don't get through this, how can your children to. If you need any extra help we're always here, and remember: so long as you have your daughters, you'll always have a piece of her."

"Thanks Kushina-san, it means a lot that you two are here with us."

A moment of silence followed, until Naruto spoke up and broke it.

"Mommy, I meant to ask you; why are you here so soon?"

Leaning over so she could look him in the eye, Kushina answered, "Because sweetie, when your daddy passed away, it was Hinata's parents that helped me not be sad anymore. In fact, Hinata's mom told me almost the same thing I just told Hiashi-san. It's just a really good coincidence that you and Hinata found each other at the playground. Hiashi and your daddy were very close and respected each other a lot; remember what I told you about respect?"

"Umm, oh yeah; 'If a ninja doesn't have respect from his friends, they need to do everything they can to earn it', right?"

"That's right sweetie."

Looking over at his daughter's closest friend and his late friend only son, Hiashi raised his head and spoke, "Naruto, Hinata was really close to her mom; do you think you could make sure she doesn't become too sad from this?"

"She may seem weak sometimes, Hiashi-sama, but I know that inside she's just as strong as you. But she really wanted to say goodbye, I told her that as long as she's alive, a piece of her mom will still live on. I'll come over every day to make sure she's okay, Believe It!" (Sorry, I just had to do that, it fit so well)

"_Ugh, why did I have to pass on my verbal tick onto him? Minato always had a way with words, why couldn't Naruto have inherited his silver tongue?" _Kushina cursed herself silently.

"Thank you, Naruto; I feel better knowing she'll have you by her side to get her through this. _Heh, maybe one day they'll be by each other's side for a different reason, they certainly care enough about each other, and when his heritage is revealed there's no way I'd have a problem getting it past the Elders; not that I would even for an instant allow them to dictate what happens in the personal lives of the clan,_" reflected Hiashi, always thinking about his family's future decades down the road.

Naruto tried to hold in a cute little yawn, but it overpowered the mighty munchkin.

"We should get going, it's getting late, and I don't want Naruto to miss his bedtime," the ever diligent mother spoke up seeing the look in Hiashi's eyes and not sure if what he was thinking was a good idea. Not that she had anything against Hinata, but she did have a few weird tendencies and she had promised herself that Naruto wouldn't marry 'a weird one'.

"Okay, I should probably check on the girls too," Hiashi nonchalantly responded.

Once they had left the Hyuga estate, Kushina carried her tuckered out little four-year-old and pondered on what tomorrow would bring.

"_If Naruto and Hinata really did choose each other, would I stand in the way of true love? Well, I have absolutely no doubt that Hinata loves him; at least as much as a four-year-old could love someone. Eh, what am I worrying about; it's his life, as long as he doesn't go falling into the wrong crowd, I'll be happy he found someone who truly loves him." _

**A/N: **I don't want any flames because of your stance on the Shipping-Wars, btw thanks to NarutosBrat for making me realize that out of all the possible love interests, Karin is the one most like Kushina, I wish I could have put my fingers in my ears and started speaking Kuriboh (those of you who watch Yugioh Abridged will get that and if you don't; what the frick is wrong with you?). I feel that this chapter wasn't as good as the last one but that's probably because I have a lot of experience daydreaming romantic scenarios like that one so they're easier for me to write.

Peace Out FanFictonauts! V (^_^) V


	4. The Glow in the Dark Bandit

**A/N: **Hey people, how's everyone? Sorry it's taking so frickin' for me to update, after my computer was fixed I decided to try and write with more substance since some people pm'ed me asking for longer chapters. Some said they didn't like that the chapters ended right when it was getting good, sorry but that's just how I write, I like to end on a high note. If anyone wants to beta for me, pm me and we'll talk. R&R please, negative feedback is ok as long as you have some actual complaints and aren't just being a cyber-douche. I think the title may not be just right, tell me if you think I should change it or at least shorten it, suggestions welcome. Oh, and it occurred to me that I haven't been putting a disclaimer up.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, if I did, the fight scenes would be horrible and any conflict in the story would be almost nonexistent.

Enjoy, or not, up to you. d (^_^) b

* * *

Naruto is running for his life.

Once again, ninjas are chasing him for making trouble. This particular pranking involves a certain mountain with four effigies of four fearsome fighters, also known as the Hokage Monument.

"Naruto, stop and get back here you little cretin, you're not getting out of this one with special treatment," yells a Chunin chasing Naruto and trying to inflict punishment on him.

"_The entire village treats the kid like a hero and he still acts like a brat. If I didn't know Kushina, I'd say this kid needs more boundaries," _thought a Jounin watching the entire scene while showing as much interest as Sasuke would toward any of his future fan girls.

"_Hehe, looks like Naruto's at it again, he's always trying to get a few laughs," _muses a civilian villager smirking at Naruto being chased like the dog that stole the steak at a backyard barbecue.

"Oh come on guys, I didn't do anything and you know it," Naruto accused his pursuers, "_that is, as long as you can't see glow-in-the-dark invisible paint,"_ he silently snickers thinking about the eye patch, mustache, glasses, and devil goatee he painted onto each Hokage respectively.

Just as Naruto ducks into an alley, he feels a hand on his shoulder and jumps three feet in the air (no minor feat for a five-year-old, especially considering Naruto is only just over four-feet to begin with).

"How's it going, Naruto?" asks Iruka Umino, a Genin who Naruto looks up to like a brother, even if he doesn't approve of Naruto's pranks and has on occasion even been the one to capture him, Iruka always just says it's his job to teach him right from wrong.

"Hi Nii-san, just getting my daily exercise like a good little future Hokage," Naruto was wearing a foxy grin as he knew Iruka wasn't buying a word of what he was saying.

"So, what did you do this time?" Iruka inquires noticing the ninjas running past the alley.

"They saw me up on the Hokage monument and figured I was pulling a prank, they can't prove nothing," the five-year-old stated smugly.

"I see the 'Orange Demon' has struck again," the sixteen-year-old mused as he ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"Why Nii-san, I don't know what you're talking about. And don't call me that, it hurts my poor little ears. Besides, shouldn't you be getting ready for the Chunin Exams," Naruto responded keeping up his innocent act.

"Yeah, don't change the subject, besides, being one of the few in this village who can even catch you has given me plenty of practice, it's more demanding than any training I could be doing right now. Now, you've got three choices: tell me what you did and take your punishment like a man, don't tell me and I'll tickle it out of you then punish you, or if the tickling doesn't work I'll turn you over to your mom," Iruka knows he's caught the village vandal as the blood drains from Naruto's face, everyone who knows either Kushina and/or Naruto knows that the only person in Konoha who can meat out their own personal justice better than Naruto is Kushina, and even though she does have a soft spot for her son, when the situation calls for it, she would be as big a disciplinarian as needed to rope in the little blonde human typhoon.

"Umm, I think I hear Jiji-san calling, gotta go Nii-san," Naruto tries to hightail it out of there but Iruka's not having any of that.

"I need to talk to him too; why don't I go with you, just to make sure you get there without those guys bothering you?"

"No, that's ok, I'll be fine."

Iruka grabs Naruto by the back of his shirt and pulls him out of the alley. "Come on Naruto, it's time to face the music."

"Are you taking me to Jiji-san or my mom?"

"Let's find out."

* * *

"Alright Naruto, let's hear why you were up on the Hokage Monument, and what exactly you were doing up there," Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Third Hokage, questions.

"_I couldn't do it, she's just too scary. For all I know she might have killed me for suggesting her son would do anything to the sacred monument without any proof,"_ Iruka thinks to himself while listening to the Hokage scold Naruto on his alleged prank.

"I was just getting a good view of the village, is that so wrong?"

"Normally, no; but when you're involved I'd rather not take the chance that it is. Now quit deflecting, drop the innocent act, and fess up or I'll make sure you don't see your friends until you start the Academy."

Smirking like a hyena with its hand in the cookie jar, "You'll find out when it gets dark."

"Whatever it is, **you'll** be fixing it until dawn," he may be past his prime, but like hell is a brat like Naruto going to outsmart The Professor. Sarutobi already knows what Naruto has done, curtsey of his crystal ball, and just wants to teach the child a lesson by getting him to admit what he did.

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto decides it's not worth it to drag this discussion out, especially since the special paint he made comes off with water and it's supposed to rain tomorrow night, just enough time for the entire Village Hidden in the Leaves to witness the four Hokages look better than ever in his opinion, particularly that pretty boy Fourth.

"Alright look, I'm not saying I was doing anything up there, but if I were to have done something, the rain will wash it away and all will be right. So, don't worry."

"I already know what you did, now own up to it or I'll make Iruka your teacher when you reach the Academy!"

"How is that a punishment for him, Hokage-sama?" Iruka questions seeing it as more of a punishment for him, basically being stripped of field duty and getting plopped in the Academy.

"Three reasons Iruka; One, I know how PO'd it'll make you be forced to teach before you get your fill of missions; Two, It'll be Naruto's fault; and Three, you'll take out your frustration out on him when he's in you class." The old man explains while smirking at the fact that he knows Naruto knows what this could mean to him.

Iruka turned to Naruto and gave him a death glare filled half way with Killing Intent, "Naruto, tell the Hokage what you did or I'm taking you to your mother, that's not a threat it's a promise," Iruka stated, having the proof he needed if Kushina didn't believe him.

"Fine, I admit it; I painted the faces of the Hokage monument. But, in my defense, it'll come off tomorrow night and it only shows in the dark, so just for one night, let it go, please."

Just then the entire room suddenly chilled to a near-unbearable level. All three males turned around and faced the doorway to the Hokage's office, and promptly wet their pants in fear of who had just entered.

"Naruto, I'll save you the trouble of trying to get out of this and just say this: do you want three months of lock up or community service," the woman known as the Red-Hot Habanero delivers her ultimatum.

Naruto is practically quaking from what his imagination is coming up with in terms of living conditions during lock up and possible tasks for community service, "Umm, if I pick lock up, can I still see Hinata-chan?"

"You'll get to see her long enough to tell her what you did, have her scold you, then not see her again until your punishment is over."

"If I pick community service, do I have to clean off the Monument?"

"Only if the paint doesn't come off when you say it will."

Kushina has a plan, the only thing worse for Naruto than a tongue-lashing from Hinata is her intentionally not speaking to him, thereby forcing him to choose community service, where he would basically be Hiashi's aide for sixteen hours a day. She knows that Hiashi would be okay with this since it would further his match-making plans to bring their children together, he could have Naruto go and keep an eye on Hinata while he was 'attending to some sensitive Clan business he didn't want Naruto to overhear' and eventually just reassign him as her guardian until his punishment was over because 'certain situations keep coming up so often it would just make more sense that way'.

"Okay Mom, I pick community service," Naruto finally replies while keeping his head down so as to not anger his mother further by inadvertently seeming insolent.

"Somehow, I knew you would," the red-haired (unofficial) Mistress of the Namikaze grins.

* * *

"Come on, Naruto. I don't want you slacking off on the job, especially on your first day," Kushina calls up to her son in order to get him going to his 'community service', "if you work hard enough, maybe Hiashi-san will give you a break and you can spend some time with Hinata."

She feels a gust of wind blow by and the front door slam, looking around she then realizes that Naruto has just sped out of the house with speed that would make his father at that age look like the tortoise racing against the hare, the first leg of the race not the last one.

:-D


End file.
